BASSETERRE, St. Kitts - AN Olympian, known to many as the ‘Blade Runner’, was today (Feb. 14) charged with the murder of his girlfriend at his home in Pretoria, South Africa.
Oscar Pistorius, a Paralympic runner who was the first of his kind to compete in able-bodied Olympics, is accused of killing his girlfriend, Reeva Steenkamp, in an incident that took place inside his home earlier this morning.
According to a report by Sky Sports News, the 26-year-old was due to appear in a Pretoria Court on the afternoon of the day in question but the hearing has now been delayed until 7:00 a.m. (GMT) on Friday morning.
The shooting victim - discovered after the authorities were called to an incident in the Silver Lakes district of Pretoria at 3:00 a.m. - has been confirmed as Pistorius' girlfriend, 30-year-old model Reeva Steenkamp.
Though police officers did not immediately name the suspect, spokeswoman Brigadier Denise Beukes did confirm Pistorius and the deceased were the only people in the house at the time of the shooting.
Some early local media reports speculated the victim may have been mistaken for an intruder, but Brigadier Beukes said that information did not come from police and investigations are ongoing.
She also confirmed any application for bail would be opposed by police.
Pistorius, who races wearing carbon fibre prosthetic blades after he was born without a fibula in both legs, was the first double amputee to run in the Olympics.
The athlete reached the 400m semi-finals in the London 2012 Olympics and won gold in the T44 400m, setting a Paralympic record.
The runner, who had his limbs amputated below the knee when he was just 11 months old, had to win a 2008 legal battle with the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) for the right to race in able-bodied competition.
